Stirring mechanism.



J.- J. STEHLING.

STIRRING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 13120.23, 1907.

n Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Invento r,- if? attorney?- Wit'nsses Wm W J. J. STEHLING.

STIRRING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 23, 1907.

904,655. Patnted Nov. 24, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

In ven to r WitneaJeJ: Y 7 W 5 w m fmmn ulttorncyd'.

stra'rns PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH J. STEHLING, or MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin.

STIRRING MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosErH J. STEHLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Stirring Mechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to stirring mechanism for vats, tanks, etc., and is specially ap- When the hides are in the tanning vats it.

is not so necessary that the tanning solution be stirred in order to protect the hldes from being injured, but the process of tanning is accelerated and the time'necessary for the hides to remain either in the lime vats or in the tanning vats is very considerably reduced by agitating the hides and the solution. Before this'invention, this agitation of the hides and solutions has'been accomplished in different ways. The hides have been removed from one tank to another, or

- have been removed from the tank and rebeing movable from one to another, the several parts of the apparatus being so constructed and arranged that while the appa ratus is very effective in operation, it is exceedingly simple in construction.

Referring to the drawings which accompany this specification and form a part thereof and on which the same reference characters are used to designate the same Specification of Letters Patent.

Applloatiqnfiled December 23, 1907. Serial No. 407,784.

Patented. Nov. 24, 1908.

parts wherever they may appear in each of the several views, Figure 1 illustrates in elevation a stirring or agitating apparatus embodying this invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation with parts in section, of the same apparatus, the view being taken at right angles to the view shown by Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a vat or tank adapted to contain a dehairing solution such as lime water or a tanning solution. These vats or tanks are shown merely conventionally. It will be understood that the ordinary practice in tanning is to fill these vats or tanks with the proper solution to within" say, about six inches of their tops. Care is taken that too many hides are not placed in a single vat, the idea being to place in only such a number so that the contents of the vats including the hides can be freely. moved about and agitated or stirred. It is usual to arrange these vats either in a single series or in successive series.

The numeral 2 designates rails which may be of metal orof wood, which are placed alongside of a series of vats for the wheels 3 of the agitating mechanism to travel upon, thou h these rails may be omitted and the wheels may travel upon-the edges of the tanks or upon the floor of the building or ground adjacent the tanks. 7

The numeral 4 designates a frame work which may be constructed in any suitable or preferred manner, which is supported by the Wheels 3 and which in turn supports an actuating mechanism or motor of anypreferred type, a reversible electric motor 5, being that preferred by me and shown by the drawings. An electric currentmay be conducted to this motor by a trolley or in any suitable or preferred manner, and the operation of the motor may be controlled by suitable switches or controllers according to the wishes of the user of the apparatus The numeral 6 designates an agitator or agitating device which in the form shown, is an ordinary paddle wheel provided with paddles or blades 7, and this paddle wheel 6 is supported by vertically movable boxes '8, which boxes are adapted to be raised and lowered carrying the paddle wheel therewith, by any suitable or preferred fOIDIOf mechanism, as a screw or two pairs of screws, each pair composed of screws 9 and 10, as shown in the drawing. These screws are a bevel '23 secured to the shaft 24, Wl'llCh carries the actuated from the motor by any suitable motion transmitting mechanism, as the gear 11, operated by the motor 5', which meshes with the gear 12, which may be clutched to the shaft 13 by the clutch 14, the shaft 13 being provided with .the worms 15 which mesh with the worm wheels 16 and 17, secured to the screws 9 and 10. -The screws 9 and 10 are of different hand, one being a right hand screw and the other a left hand screw, so that the paddle wheel will be raised or lowered properly by the worm wheels 16 and 17 being turned in opposite directions by the worms 15.

The paddlewheel 6 is adapted to be rotated by the motor 5 by means of any sultable or preferred motion transmitting mechanism, that being shown consisting of the gear 18, rotatable by the motor 5 meshing with the gear 19, which is loose upon the shaft 20 but can be clutchedthereto by the clutch'21, said shaft 20 being provided with gear 22 meshing with a bevel gear worm 25, adapted to'mesh with the worm wheel 26, secured to the shaft 27 of the paddle wheel 6.

The lower ends of the screws 9 and 10 are rotatably retained within boxes 28 and 29, secured to the transverse members 30 and 310 of the frame 4.

The lower end of the shaft 25 to which is secured the worm 25, is suitably retained 1n 2. fixed position, so that the worm 25 pro erly meshes with worm wheel 26, but sald worm may be disengaged from said worm wheel by operating the eccentric 31, leaving the worm wheel 26 free to be moved up with the paddle wheel 6 in order that the paddle wheel 6 may be removed from any tank and moved over another adjacent tank or one further removed.

The 0 eration of the apparatus is as follows; Tlie paddle wheel 6 being in an elevated position, the movable frame 4 is moved over the vat the contents of which it is desired to agitate, the motor 5 is set in operation, lowering the paddle wheel into the tank about eighteen inches, as shown by Fig. 1 of the drawings, the clutch 14 is operated to disengage gear 12 from shaft 13, the eccentric 31 is moved to throw the worm 25 into mesh with the worm wheel 26, the paddle wheel being moved slightly by hand if necessary in order to bring the worm and wheel into proper alinement for meshing. The motor 5 may be stopped during these operations, or may be allowed to run. If

running, the clutch 21 is thenoperated to clutch gear 19 to shaft 20, and the paddle wheel or agitator is revolved by means of shaft 20, bevel gears 22 and 23, shaft '24, Worm 25 and worm wheel 26.

The revolving of the paddle wheel agitates and sets in motion the solution contained in.

the tank, and sufiicient current is set up to.

move and displace the hides with the current established. This agitation may be-conbe agitated a number of times each day, and

with the simple portable apparatus which I have disclosed, this can be done very readily, even .where'the number of vats is large, as the labor required is small.

WhileI have shown the movable frame a as adapted to be pushed or hauled from vat to vat by men or animals, it is to be understood that it can be moved by any mechanical arrangement, from any available source of power, as by an endless rope, or similar contrivance. It can also be moved by means of the motor 5, by simply providing any suitable form of motion transmitting mechanism, as gears and shafting, for transmitting motion fromthe gears 11 and 18 to one or more of the wheels 3, clutch mechanism similar to the clutch mechanisms 14 and 21 being used to connect the motor 5 with the driving wheel or wheels, or to disconnect it therefrom.

\Vhile specific means, as screws, gears, Worms, &c. are specifically shown by the drawings and described by the specification, for raising and lowering the paddle wheel or agitating device and for actuating said agitating device, it is to be understood that all equivalents of the actual mechanisms shown and described, adapted to perform the same functions and effect the same results as the specific forms of apparatus shown and described, are included by and are intended to be covered by the term means as used in the claims.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a movable frame, of a paddle wheel supported thereby, means for raising and lowering said paddle wheel with respect to said movable frame, and means for revolving said paddle wheel.

2. The combination with a movable frame, of a paddle wheel, means for raising and lowering said paddle wheel, said paddle wheel being provided with a worm Wheel adapted to revolve it, a worm for revolving said worm wheel, and means to disengage said worm from said worm wheel, or to engage it therewith, so that said paddle wheel with its worm wheel may be raised or lowered.

3. The combination with a movable frame,

of a paddle wheel supported thereby, right an eccentric to engage said Worm with said worm wheel or disengage it therefrom.

5. The combination with a movable frame, of screws supported thereby, a paddle wheel supported by said screws, a motor for rotating said screws to raise and lower said paddle wheel, and means for-revolving said pad dle wheel adapted to be actuated by said motor.

6. The combination with a movable frame, of a pair of screws arranged vertically at each side of said frame, one screw of each pair being right handed and the other screw of each pair being left handed, each of said screws being provided with a worm wheel, a shaft provided withtwo worms, one of said worms meshing with the worm" wheels on the two screws at one side of the frame, movable boxes engaged with said screws, a shaft supported by said boxes and provided with a paddle wheel and a worm wheel, a Worm for rotating said paddle wheel, an eccentric for engaging said worm with the worm wheel upon said shaft or disengaging it therefrom, a motor and two clutches, one of which is adapted to,engage said motor with the worm and worm wheels for revolving said paddle wheel or to disenga e said motor In'wit-ness whereof I hereto aflix my signai ture in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH J. STEHLING.

Witnesses:

CHAS. L. Goss, Amos E. Goss. 

